Archives

Macedonia to Revise Restrictive Abortion Law
The health minister announced that Macedonia will soon change its restrictive law on abortion, which sparked widespread criticism from rights activists when it was adopted five years ago.

Sinisa Jakov Marusic
08 Mar 18

The Macedonian health ministry is working to redraw the divisive Law on Abortion and will soon submit its proposals to parliament, recently-appointed Health Minister Venko Filipce told media on Wednesday.

“All the laws and procedures [intended for] the improvement of the protection of women’s health remain our priority. We are almost finished with the revision of the Law on Abortion and it will soon put it into a regular procedure [for adoption by parliament,” Filipce said.

Serbian government officials are claiming that uproar over alleged plans to establish a state body to persuade women to avoid abortions is all a misunderstanding.

Slavica Đukić Dejanović, a minister without portfolio responsible for demography and population policy, reportedly told pro-government tabloid Informer confirming that the state would “form a body that would raise awareness of all women about the harmful side effects of abortions.” Several other media outlets then picked up on the statement. According to news portal Alo.rs, the council would provide counseling on pregnancy and its termination, and “would include the civil sector, priests and various experts that would be able to help.”

More reports on September 28 events from the International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion, including from Poland, Nicaragua, Netherlands, UK, Armenia, Macedonia, Croatia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana.